Let's Talk Home Theater Projectors and Resolution
When shopping for a home theater projector, resolution may be the most important spec to understand.
What is Resolution?
Simply defined, resolution refers to the number of lines of image displayed on the screen. The greater the resolution, the greater the picture quality.
"Fixed" Resolution
Projectors usually come with fixed resolutions, meaning regardless of the quality of the signal they receive, they can only output in one resolution. Here's an example: a XGA (1024 x 768) projector that receives an HD (1920 x 1080) signal must shrink the information so it outputs in the 1024 x 768 format.
Today's home theater projectors come in different fixed resolutions including XGA (1024 x 768), WXGA (1280 x 800), HD (1920 x 1080) and, every once in a while, 4K (4096 x 2160). HD is the most popular format.
Home Theater Projector Resolutions
Ready to shop for your home theater projector? Start here »
- XGA = 1024 x 768 pixels
- WXGA = 1280 x 800 pixels
- HD = 1920 x 1080 pixels
- 4K = 4096 x 2160 resolution
As you can see above, HD projectors have almost twice the resolution of XGA projectors, hence their superior image quality.